Congratulations to Sergio ‘ente per ente’ PALUMBO and Robin B. Lipinski, our entrants for the June Challenge! They tied with three votes each. I thought that both stories were well crafted, and I couldn't pick a favorite between Sergio's "Homopolar Guns" or Robin's "Me Time" if my life depended on it. Well done, guys! Take a bow!

Dan

"Extremely difficult- Virtually impossible- However, it should only take me ten minutes or so..."Brice Linch - Max Headroom

I've always liked that saying, "If my life depended on it." That one phrase is an open door to about a billion variations of stories. "Pick the way you want to die. Either, eaten by fire ants while naked and dipped in honey, or slowly ground up a hamburger machine, and by slow I mean, days and days."

Fun contest though my story was muuuuuuch better than Sergio's:) Why? Because of my superior intellect and the fact I voted for myself three times using the alias 'me' 'myself' and 'I'. And I have six fingers on my rights hand, and I'm taller than Sergio and, and, and... sigh.

Good job Sergio!

"So Robin, what choice? The ants or hamburger machine?"

Neither parasite. My naked body would repel all ants and since I don't bathe my skin has hardened in callaouses to the point the machine would break.

It is fun writing here on Aphelion. And since I suffer from OCD and repeat myself over and... And since I suffer from OCD and repeat myself over and... And since I suffer from OCD and repeat myself over and...

"Knock it off Robin!"

Okay parasite. Thanks for the reset. Anyway. This site has given more satisfaction and enjoyment as a writer than ANY other forum. Well, except for the site where I talk to lonely blind Nigerian midget coal miners who lost their job because of height requirements changing AND neighboring tribes stole all the female goats in their herds leaving only confused male goats.

Seriously...

"Really? You can be serious?"

No parasite. I cannot. But seriously, I hope the contests continue and a lot of other people get involved. Thanks for the votes!

I am back from my vacation in U.S.A., and things went very well for the modelers of our Club at the World Expo (World Championship for scale modelers) in Chicago!!!

We took 6 medals overall, with two gold awards in the Fantasy Open, and we are also very happy that one of those was given to "Ernest the Fantasy Warrior", the bust sculpted/scratchbuilt in 1/10, modeled after the image of Ernesto, the (unfortunately) dead founder of our Club, painted by our master modeler, and friend, Fulvio!!!

Wonderful show, with some really extraordinary pieces also from Europe, other than Canada, U.S.A. and Japan. And it was really a great honor to receive the awards directly from Bill Horan, the Myth!!!

Before the award giving ceremony there was also a recollection with photos of GREAT American modeler/artist Sheperd Paine that died in 2015.